SWTOR - Battle of the Sisters
by nobarawolfgirl
Summary: Sayje and Seyje need information from each other, but just how much are they willing to sacrifice? Have their missions got them in over their heads?
1. Meeting Place

The abandoned ship hangar grew dark as night fell on the war-torn desert world of Tatooine. Moonlight cast eerie shadows across the floor near the entryway where an ominous figure stood patiently. Neither Imperial nor Republican soldiers would be able to interrupt this unforeseen meeting as the planet's monsters of the night awoke.

The Sith lord's ship, "Fury of Darkness", stood a ways behind the entrance, leaving just enough room to fit a second ship into the port. Shadows hid it all too well from the unkeen eye, but to those who could see it, the vastness of the vessel made the large hangar look no bigger than a cantina room. Only the tips of the U-shaped vessel were visible from the moonlight. Old, ragged banners from both the Empire and the Republic dotted the floor. It appeared as though this hangar had been in possession of both sides at some point before the native Sand People drove them out of the territory. They were no match for a Sith lord, though, and Darth Seyje had cut down every last one of them that had attacked when she docked her ship. Now her and her crew lay in wait.

Darth Seyje stood at the far end of the archway of the hangar entrance. Short, dark red hair reached the tops of her shoulders with a part down the right side, causing the hair on the left to occasionally fall in front of her face. With skin as smooth and white as ivory, and eyes as deep as the sapphire blue lakes of Alderaan, her beauty was comparable to none. Seyje wore traditional Sith garments, a red and white vest on her chest and a red and black skirt that reached the floor. Her stomach was left exposed, proving just how deadly she was to not have even a scratch there.

Malavai Quinn, the Sith's most trusted companion and captain of the ship, stood next to his lord with his hands folded behind his back. As a military man, the stiff position he often held was both familiar and comfortable. He examined Darth Seyje carefully. His lord was a strong, lethal, and powerful Sith, the most powerfully in the galaxy after her defeat of Darth Baras. Her dangerous aura was a warning to all those they approached to stay back. While they had no other assigned missions, Seyje had recently come up with a plan to gain even more power, a plan that the Captain was unsure of succeeding.

As he watched her, Quinn noticed her slight discomfort. Her eyes shone in the moonlight. Normally, they would've been piercing enough to cut through a Bantha's hide, but tonight they held a different emotion: uncertainty. The Sith lord leaned against the metal columns of the archway, arms folded across her chest and staring out across the desert wasteland. She appeared to be lost in thought. Quinn didn't normally disrupt his lord's concentration, but his curiosity about their situation left his mind filled with questions.

"My lord..." Quinn began, but Seyje held up a hand for silence.

"You needn't worry about my confrontation with her tonight, Quinn. I've already planned out everything. Tonight _will_ end in our favor," she said coldly.

The Sith turned to look at Quinn, and for a moment the hatred in her face had him completely convinced. But after analyzing the emotion behind her eyes, the Captain sensed there was more to it.

"While I do agree with you, my lord, I do not think it wise to confront her alone," Quinn said earnestly, taking a step closer to the Sith.

Seyje chuckled, revealing a rare half-smile, and she placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder. He was honored that she felt comfortable to let her full guard down around him. She was open with the other crew members, but not like she was with Quinn. Anyone else she had to deal with was met with ferocity and supremacy.

"Are you worried about me, Malavai?" Seyje asked seductively.

Her other hand playfully walked fingers up his chest. Hearing her use his first name was uncommon, despite their marriage, but it aroused Quinn more than any of her other sly methods. He took another step to close the gap between them, wrapping one arm around her bare waist.

"I always worry about you Seyje," the Captain murmured, dipping his head down and kissing her neck.

Quinn loved calling her by her first name, but rarely did it, despite the fact that he had known her for over four years now. Saying it gave him butterflies in his stomach, and he wasn't sure if she would approve at this time. Seyje, however, turned his attention back to her when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Finally getting bold, are you Quinn?" she teased, a spark of desire in her eyes.

Quinn faltered. Finally? He could be saying it more often? Seyje pulled him into a tender kiss before he was finished fully processing. He gladly returned it, deepening the kiss by holding her near to him. The Sith slowly stepped back, keeping their lips connected, until her back was against the archway once more. Quinn was forced to place a hand on the narrow wall to balance himself as she pulled him in even closer. There was no space between their bodies now, and he was getting breathless. Seyje refused to let him go, and when he tried to release himself to catch his breath, she simply crushed her lips to his to keep him from escaping. Her scent was intoxicating, and Quinn found himself unable to focus on anything but his lord. One hand strayed down to her lower back while the other wrapped around her shoulders. Seyje's hands moved from his neck to his hair to his shoulders to his chest and to anywhere else she could keep a strong grip. Quinn responded quickly to her movements, exploring her body in response. Their kisses grew ever more passionate, but the Captain began to feel the desperation in his lord. While secret kisses were not unusual between them, they had never lasted this long without words being spoken. The Sith was trying to hold onto something, and Quinn could only guess what that was as he held her close.

After finally breaking free from her grasp, a few moments passed while they both caught their breath before Quinn spoke.

"My lord, that was...unexpected," the Captain said slowly.

Fear flashed through the Sith's eyes, but only momentarily. She had given away more than she planned to with that kiss, and they both knew it.

"Seyje…" Quinn murmured tenderly, brushing her cheek with his hand.

Whatever fear or anxiety she felt, the Captain wanted to make it all just go away with a swish of his hand. He loved her too much to sit back and watch her struggle like this. The Sith put her hand to his and held it there, closing her eyes. She took a shaky breath, unable to calm herself.

"I don't know if I can do this, Malavai."

Quinn was shocked. Not only did she use his first name twice within approximately six minutes, she admitted that she was not ready to face their coming challenge. He had never heard his lord speak without conviction, and tonight was the night she would need it most. Her guard was down, proven by her quivering lips and shaking hands; Quinn needed to build it back up fast before their adversary arrived.

"My lord, no matter what she says or does, you know that the rest of the crew and I will be here to back you up," Quinn said, taking her hands into his. "I promise."

He looked into her eyes, searching for the confidence he knew she had. After a few moments, the corners of Seyje's mouth turned upward into a full, genuine smile. Her quiet chuckle was music to his ears, and she kissed Quinn once again.

"I love you, Malavai Quinn."

"I love you too, Darth Seyje Walker," the Captain said with a wink as he used her entire formal name.

A warm breeze blew in through the archway. Nightfall on Tatooine brought temperatures that dropped faster than a crashing shuttle, so any kind of warmth from the desert was heartily welcomed. Quinn stood behind Sayje with his arms wrapped around her, looking up at the moons of the sandy planet. He enjoyed the comfortable silence between them and could've stayed there for the remainder of the night if he hadn't felt his lord suddenly tense up.

"Quinn. Go back to the ship and alert the crew. I want you all hiding in the shadows underneath the ship in case the situation gets out of hand," she commanded, releasing herself from his gentle hug.

"Yes my lord."

The Captain walked briskly back to the shuttle and hurried up the ramp extending down from the door. Seyje turned her attention to the starry night sky and saw a Republican shuttle flying towards the surface of the planet. As it came closer to the hangar, Seyje saw the details of the ship more clearly. It was a rustic red color and shaped like a short Greer, with the back engines looking like stubby legs and the front of the vessel resembling broad shoulders. The building complex began to shake from the roaring engines as the vessel was docked. Its size blocked out all moonlight on the "Fury of Darkness", making it almost completely invisible in the darkness.

Seyje walked towards the middle of the room to the ring of moonlight on the floor between the two ships, waiting with her arms folded in front of her. Thoughts of previous confrontations with her visitor flooded her mind and filled her with a ravaging hate. The idea that she was related by blood to one of the Empire's greatest enemies was sickening.

The gears of the red vessel hissed as the exit ramp extended down to the floor. Two hooded figures descended from the ship, each wearing Jedi robes. Tips of red hair could be seen from the hood of the first. Calm and peace resonated with her - disgusting. However, the Sith could sense anger and resentment from the second one - much better. As they approached, Seyje took a few moments to peer into the Force. On the Jedi's ship, she could sense three other beings and two droids; no doubt it was the rest of her crew. The Sith chuckled darkly at the apprehension she could feel from inside the vessel. Her pride was quickly vanquished when she realized the same fear was emitting from her own ship as well. The two Jedi now stood on the other side of the circle of moonlight, and the whole planet suddenly became quiet as the two most powerful beings in the galaxy stood facing each other.

"Hello Seyje," the Jedi said, her voice laced with discomfort.

"Skip the pleasantries, Sayje. If this is going to be done, we need to act quickly," the Sith snapped.

"There's no _we_ about this until you tell me exactly what your half of the plan is," the Jedi said coldly.

The figure next to her, who Seyje figured out was her former padawan, Kira Carsen, paused at her master's words. Seyje scoffed, shifting her weight to one leg and placing a hand on her waist.

"For being a Jedi, you're not the friendliest creature on the planet," she pointed out sarcastically.

Sayje's eyes narrowed and she stiffened.

"When it comes to dealing with your kind, friendliness isn't my priority," the Jedi said with annoyance.

"My kind? We share the same bloodline, you and I. That makes us of the same kind, does it not?" Seyje challenged, sneering at her sister.

"No," the Jedi snapped. "You are a black-hearted menace to this galaxy that I'm trying so hard to save."

A tormented expression crossed the Jedi's face as she said this. It seemed she already knew exactly what was happening to the other planets across space.

"Hah! You think you can save this galaxy? The Empire has already won this war, thanks to me," Seyje boasted, folding her arms across her chest.

She could sense Quinn's pride emitting from the shadows of her ship. Her heart took a tiny leap every time the Captain was pleased with her decisions. It hadn't been easy to break down his walls of professionalism and duty, but succeeding had produced great rewards for the both of them.

"Seyje...listen to me," the Jedi said, enunciating each word.

The Sith immediately became suspicious and called upon her own apprentice through the Force.

_Jaesa. Come to my side immediately. _

Quick footsteps echoed through the hangar, and the Dark padawan appeared by her master's side. Sayje stood there as if she was already defeated, but not by a physical force. She looked up at Seyje, and the sisters looked into each other's eyes. One's glowed red with pride and death, the other's blue with compassion and mercy.

"We both know what the stakes have come to here. Your mission may have been a success, but mine has yet to be completed."

The Sith looked at her sister, feeling slightly surprised at her choice of words.

"Are you saying you'll take my deal?" Seyje asked, not daring to hope.

The Jedi was silent for a moment.

"I don't have a choice. You've destroyed all other means for the Republic to gather the information I need for this quest," Sayje said bitterly, hating each word that left her mouth.

Victory spread across the Sith's face with a malicious smile.

_At last._

"So...I tell you where to find the Emperor, and you give me the coordinates for Master Satele's shuttle?" Seyje asked.

Shocked auras from every companion immediately spread through the room. Up until now, no one except the Sith and the Jedi had known what the meeting was about. Voices erupted from inside the Jedi's ship as the rest of her crew came rushing out.

"What?! That's the special deal you mentioned?! Trading the life of the galaxy's greatest Jedi Master for some lowlife Sith Lord?!" Kira Carsen shouted in protest from beside her master.

The Jedi could not face her former padawan, keeping her pained eyes focused on her sister. Seyje was surprised to suddenly find her own crew surrounding her.

"Just say the word, my lord, and I'll blow this puny Jedi to the other side of the galaxy," Lieutenant Pierce stated as he readied his rocket launcher.

"I could take you on any day, wise guy," Kira retorted.

Jaesa ignited her yellow double-sided lightsaber.

"You'd have to take me first, Kira," she snapped.

Seyje had forgotten about the fact that Kira, Sayje, and Jaesa all had training history together on Tython. When Jaesa had been turned, Kira had contacted her trying futilely to bring her back.

Kira ignited her own gold double-sided lightsaber as Lord Scourge ignited his red one.

"I would gladly help you take down this Sith," he responded.

Ironically, the Jedi had managed to turn one of Seyje's own not long after Jaesa's change of sides. Lord Scourge had been a powerful master, and although Seyje had never met him, she had heard plenty about the former Sith.

Seyje's excitable Twi'lek, Vette, chimed in.

"Well as long as we're all picking fights-"

"No one is fighting anyone except for me and Sayje," the Sith snapped angrily. "All of you, back off _now_."

Quinn started to protest.

"But, my lord-"

"Did I stutter Captain?"

She glared at him, and he could see the determination in her eyes as well as a hint of fear; none of them were getting hurt while she was around. Unwilling to argue, Quinn simply nodded and stepped back. The Jedi raised a hand and her crew fell back as well. The two sisters began to circle each other around the circle of light.

"We don't need to fight, Seyje. Just lay down your weapon so we can discuss this like civilized people," the Jedi pleaded.

"Oh, but we do, Sayje," the Sith retorted. "You see, I have yet to face a being or droid that I couldn't defeat. My own Captain built specialized assassin droids programed to kill me and I still won."

Quinn's conscience stung at the painful memories. Darth Baras had somehow convinced him to turn against his own wife by building droids to kill her. The robots had almost succeeded, a moment in time he would regret for the rest of his life. After the battle, he had been shocked she let him live, but even more shocked that she forgave him and let him keep his role as Captain in her crew. Quinn's devotion to her hadn't swayed since.

Seyje glanced behind her sister at the shifting expressions of the Jedi's crew, and a devious thought crossed her mind. She stopped and slyly grinned, shifting her weight to one leg in a defensive yet boastful stance.

"Perhaps you should everyone why I'm willing to give you this information first," Seyje suggested, looking to destroy any hope of forgiveness for her despised sister.

Sayje's eyes flashed, and she took a moment to answer.

"Because you want the Emperor dead so you can take his place."

Her voice was slightly unsteady.

"Ah-ah-ah, I'm talking about the _real_ reason," Seyje hissed, taking full pleasure at her sister's discomfort with the situation.

Sayje turned her head away, unwilling to speak, and the Sith sneered.

"If you won't say it, I will."

All eyes turned to her.

"We all know that Sayje is the strongest Jedi in the galaxy and that I am the most lethal Sith. Since we are of the same bloodline, it makes sense that the true power of the galaxy should fall to those who can control it. Therefore, while you Republic fools are all busy removing the Emperor from his throne, I will take down Master Satele. Once both missions are complete, my beloved sister and I will simply take their places and rule the galaxy together."

Seeing the horrified looks on the faces of everyone in the hangar, despite the darkness, brought Seyje a sense of satisfaction she hadn't felt in a long time. Sayje's head snapped up.

"No! You're wrong! That's not why I'm doing this!"

"Then what is the reason, dear sister? I see no other possible explanation."

"Because it was the only way to convince you to bargain with me!"

Seyje shrugged.

"Perhaps. But it was also the only bargaining chip of equal value that you had to play this game with."

The Jedi had no words to respond.

"You forget that I am known as the Emperor's Wrath to all those who don't know my name. My loyalty to him is just as strong as yours is to Master Satele," the Sith snarled, a hint of sincerity in her voice.

She could feel her sister's frustration growing with each passing moment, and it only aided Seyje's power.

"I will never understand how you can be so willing to serve a creature as barbaric as the Emperor," Sayje hissed angrily. "Do you realize what he's done to this galaxy? What he's planning to do?"

Seyje's eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about? The only thing the Emperor has done is sit back and watch my destruction of the Republic."

Sayje looked at her sister curiously.

"Is that what they've told you? Have you ever actually discussed the galaxy's fate with the Emperor yourself since you are his second-hand servant?"

Seyje faltered. Of course she hadn't talked to the Master of all Darkness - what a ridiculous idea. As a Sith, all she had been taught was to obey, which she excelled in – with a few exceptions. Now that she looked closer at the situation, she had no idea what any of the Emperor's plans were. Sayje's eyes widened at her sister's reaction.

"Really? You mean…you don't know?" she asked with complete surprise.

"What does it matter if I know or not? He is my master and I _must_ obey," Seyje  
responded, the confidence in her voice waning quickly.

"Seyje…it's not right to blindly serve anyone, master or not," her sister said sorrowfully.

The Sith hated how her sister's words were causing an internal conflict for her. What was the Emperor truly trying to achieve with all this destruction? Was she being played with?

_What am I doing? _

"And I won't leave you in the dark anymore because it's wrong. We may follow two separate paths, but you're still my sister and I still care about you," Sayje said calmly.

"Don't pity me, Jedi!" Seyje hissed viciously. "You may be right, but don't you _dare_ start talking to me like I need your mercy. You know nothing of the ways of the Sith - nothing!"

She was trying to win her internal battle with words, and failing miserably.

"Seyje, the Emperor is trying to suck all life out of this galaxy to make himself immortal!" the Jedi shouted desperately.

The following silence was deafening.

"Once he's done vanquishing all life here, he'll simply move on to other galaxies until he kills the entire universe. And do you know what he's planning to do after that?"

No response.

"He's going to sit back and wait for the worlds to rebuild themselves so he can conquer them again and again to keep himself alive. Is that the kind of monster you want to serve?"

Seyje didn't answer. How could that even be possible? No one had the power to destroy entire galaxies, and yet here she stood with more than half of the planets in the star system crushed under her wrath. And for what? For the glory of the Empire?

All through the battle she had believed it was going to be easy to strike down the Republic once and for control of the galaxy with such power in her hands; Sayje had proven her otherwise more than once. Still, the Sith's rampage had driven down more species and planets than the Jedi could ever hope to recover. However, never once throughout the war had Seyje thought about what was going to happen after they won. In the early years of battle, the Sith had heard rumors of life being sucked out of an entire planet, leaving it a desolate wasteland. Is that what the Emperor was going to do to all the planets under the Empire's control? Was he really willing to take millions of lives to sustain his own?

After momentary consideration, the Sith could now understand why no one challenged the Emperor. He was truly a master of the Dark side, with pure and ancient Sith blood flowing through his veins. His lust for power was so strong, Seyje had trouble fully comprehending it. Nowhere in the galaxy would they find a more terrible human being. The Sith herself was almost repulsed by him, and she thought of her sister's question. Is the Emperor the kind of master she wanted to serve?

"No…it's not, which is why you're going to help me," Seyje growled.

She had the upper-hand once again, and her conviction was twice as strong as it was before.

"You are destined to defeat the Emperor and end his bloodlust insanity. I'm well aware of  
that – which is why we must now fight."

Sayje ignited her two red lightsabers, all confliction within her gone. The Jedi was stunned that her sister, after all she had just said, still wanted to battle.

"By defeating you, not only will it prove that the Sith are superior to the Jedi, but if your mission fails, then I know that I will be strong enough to complete both ends of the deal and will become the most powerful being in the galaxy," the Sith said excitedly, the strength of the Dark side raging through her soul.

She could already see herself sitting on the throne of the former Emperor with the power of the entire galaxy at her fingertips. Of course, her plans would be much different than the Emperor's – no Republic fools would be living in the world she ruled.

"If that's what you believe, then so be it," the Jedi said, almost remorsefully. "I can only pray that there is still hope for you, sister."


	2. Sister vs Sister

Sayje ignited her two blue lightsabers moments before Seyje's red ones came slashing down on her from above. She blocked the attack, but was thrown backwards from a Force Scream from the Sith. The roar was deafening. She barely had time to regain enough sense to roll out of the way before Seyje Force Charged at her, the red lightsabers slashing rivets into the ground. The Jedi jumped to her feet and kicked her sister in the chest, throwing Seyje back and knocking the wind out of her. The Sith snarled angrily as she stood up, her lungs throbbing with pain.

Clouds outside the hangar blew in front of the moon, leaving the hangar in complete darkness. Red and blue lightsabers were the only means of light now. Sparks flew as the two sisters struck, parried, and slashed at each other. The Force provided all the sight they needed to attack one another.

Seyje spun as she attacked with another Vicious Assault, but Sayje was able to block it and struck back with Blade Storm. The Sith rolled to dodge, but the movement was affected by the earlier kick from her sister, and she had no time to strike back before the Jedi leapt in with a Force Sweep. Her lightsabers were knocked out of her hand as she was thrown back a few feet. Sayje paused, approaching her sister carefully. The Sith was furious with herself. How was she losing? This was unacceptable.

"Give up now, sister, before things get any worse," Sayje warned.

The Jedi was standing between Seyje and her two lightsabers on the floor. The Sith grabbed a hold of her weapons with the Force and pulled them towards her.

"Never," Seyje snarled.

She ignited her lightsabers with the Force before they reached her hands, and her weapons slashed at the Jedi's thighs. Sayje cried out in pain, and collapsed to one knee, clutching her harshly burned legs. Her lightsabers somehow stayed in her grasp, something the Sith needed to change.

"I will never give up!" Seyje roared, slashing down at her sister.

Amazingly, the Jedi blocked her and spun around so she was back on her feet. Sayje hissed in pain, but kept her eyes focused on her sister. The Sith chuckled darkly, and wasted no time in striking with her favorite attack – Ravage. It was a series of slashing attacks meant to severely weaken opponents. Sayje could barely focus as the Sith's red lightsabers came crashing down again and again upon her. With the last strike, Sayje lost her balance and the Sith slashed across the front of her robes, knocking her backwards.

Seyje paused in her attack, waiting to see what kind of damage she had done to the Jedi laying face-up on the floor. The scent of burnt cotton hung in the air as Sayje slowly stood up. The Sith snarled angrily to herself. She hadn't done anything except burn through the front of her sister's robes with that attack and missed the skin underneath.

"Do what you will, Sith, but this battle cannot continue. You've wasted enough of my time," Sayje snapped as her eyes narrowed.

Seyje hesitated. What was that supposed to mean? All of a sudden, the Jedi front-flipped over Seyje's head and landed only a few meters away from the "Fury of Darkness" where the crew was hiding underneath in the shadows. Cold fear struck her as she realized what her sister was doing. A strike to the ground caused the floor to shake and Seyje stumbled to regain her balance. As soon as she looked up, she saw the Jedi facing her holding Quinn like a hostage. One hand had seized the back of his raven black hair to keep him still, and the other held a blue lightsaber dangerously close to Quinn's throat. Sayje gasped, the fear creeping up the vertebrae in her spine like a ladder. How had her sister been able to move so quickly? The attack had knocked the other members of her crew backwards, and as they got to their feet, they knew that if they tried to help in any way, the Captain would likely end up dead. Quinn was in danger, and merely knowing that raised a sheer terror inside the Sith, but actually witnessing it and seeing that her sister was the cause made her feelings slowly begin to meld into a fiery rage. Never before had Seyje felt such loathing and disgust towards one person.

"Let. Him. Go," she snarled. "_Now._"

"Not until you give me the information I came for," Sayje retorted, masking all emotion on her face like Jedi were supposed to.

The Sith couldn't move. Emotions were jumping back and forth inside her across a void of indecisiveness. She was frozen into place by a mixture of panic and anger. Her senses were shooting of warning signals like machine guns. Quinn's steel gaze found hers and their eyes locked. There was no fear behind the Captain's eyes, but it brought little comfort to Seyje. The Sith had fought very hard to keep him safe in battle. She had succeeded every time, even though it had cost her more than once – yet she had failed when it counted most. The Jedi's grip on Quinn's head tightened, and he grunted with discomfort as the blue lightsaber inched even closer to the strained muscles in his neck. Seyje hissed an angry warning at her sister, but the Jedi ignored her.

"You're despicable," the Sith spat. "Not even I would stoop so low as to attack the innocents in this room."

"I don't have a choice!" Sayje yelled desperately. "You have _no_ idea how hard I've worked to get to this point, and I'm not going to let your pig-headed madness stop me!"

Seyje raised a surprised eyebrow. The Jedi seemed slightly embarrassed at her own outburst, but she held her head high regardless.

"Interesting choice of words…" the Sith's said as her eyes narrowed.

Sayje glanced at her suspiciously.

"But just so you know, your actions have opened up a whole new playing field," she stated darkly.

Seyje's mind was kicked into high-speed as she raced to beat her sister to the punch. Diving into the Force, it took her a mere second to figure out who her sister's lover was. Turning her back, Seyje leapt across the room and Smashed into the ground to knock back the Jedi's crew members. If the circumstances were any different, she never would've taken her eyes off of Quinn, but at this point it was the only way she knew how to save his life.

Looking up, her eyes locked with those of a young man about four feet away from her. Short, black hair covered his head, and he had a thick mustache and a curious, pointy block of hair underneath his bottom lip that couldn't really be considered a beard. His outfit looked similar to that of a medic, so she assumed he was some kind of doctor. The fear Seyje saw and felt emitting from his brown eyes was delightful. He was the key to her sister's destruction as well as Quinn's freedom.

Standing upright, Seyje grabbed ahold of his neck with the Force and pulled the man towards her until his skin was under her fingers. The doctor gasped for air, nails clawing at her hands in an attempt to break her hold. Gazing into his aura, the Sith could sense defiance. Tsk, tsk that was not going to do. Seyje's eyes glowed red and she snarled threateningly at the man in her grasp. He paused in his attempts for breath and glared at the Sith. Suddenly, she felt something wet splatter on her cheek.

_What in the name of the Force?_

She shook her head with surprise and looked down at her other hand in shock. This young man had dared to spit on her. He had dared to spit on the Emperor's Wrath. The rage that had been building up inside her peaked.

_What. An. Idiot. _

With a ferocious roar, the Sith whirled around and hurled the doctor across the hangar. While he was still midair, she leapt up and used the Force to change her direction so that she came down on top of him, slamming him into the metal floor. Whirlwinds of dust from the abandoned place blew up around them. The whole room was filled with auras and sounds of alarm.

"NO!" Sayje cried out.

Seyje glanced up and smirked. Tears glistened in the corners of her sister's eyes. Lips were quivering, and eyes were wide. That was the expression of true fear.

_I'm not finished yet. _

She sat crouched next to the man. He wasn't dead, but no doubt had a few broken ribs and possibly a severe concussion. The force of her attack had broken the beams of the floor, so he probably had a few puncture wounds in his back too. Ragged breaths shook his chest, and he inhaled sharply as he tried to sit up and failed. Glancing down, Seyje saw that same look of defiance in the doctor's eyes and scoffed. If he kept this up, he would certainly be a dead man. She curled her fingers around his neck once more and stood, lifting him up. The man groaned with pain as the skin on his back was ripped from the metal. Blood ran down his uniform shirt, mixing with the dust, and started dripping onto the floor. Seyje let his feet dangle a few inches off the ground and tightened her grip on his throat, enjoying the hoarse gasps coming from his throat.

"Enough, Seyje! Let him go!" her sister shouted frantically.

The Sith looked up once again at her sister and noticed that her grip on Quinn had certainly weakened, but not enough for him to escape yet. Seyje's fingers loosed a fraction as she looked at the expression on Quinn's face. It was almost…disappointed? How could that be? Didn't he see she was helping him? She pushed the thoughts aside for later and turned her attention back to the Jedi standing underneath her ship.

"I told you to let him go, sister. You want to attack my crew, then I will do the same thing in return," she said coldly.

"I barely touched him!" Sayje persisted. "He wasn't even hurt, unlike what you did."

"You are not Sith," Seyje hissed viciously, closing the airways of the doctor even more.

The sounds of him struggling for air worsened, as did the fear within the Jedi. Seyje looked back at Quinn. His expression was unreadable now. Sayje's, on the other hand, was quite clear. She had had enough. The Jedi sheathed her lightsaber and shoved Quinn to the side. The instant he was free, Seyje dropped the man in her grasp and strode towards her ship.

"I will have the location of the Emperor sent to your shuttle as soon as I have my coordinates," she said as she walked past her sister.

"No."

The Sith stopped and turned around. Did she hear that correctly? Her sister stood there with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"What?" Seyje asked with disbelief.

_Is she about to blow off the whole deal?_

"You tell me where the Emperor is first. I'm not playing any more of your games," Sayje snarled threateningly.

Seyje chuckled to herself, and her sister's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"You know, you remind me more of myself every time I meet you," she murmured with amusement.

The Jedi's eyes widened slightly and she swallowed hard, but did not respond.

"Fine. I'll have his location for you within the hour," Seyje said casually with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Her sister could only nod. Turning back to the vessel, Seyje was relieved to see that her crew had already started tending to Quinn, despite the fact that he wasn't even injured. She tried to make it look like she wasn't rushing, but Seyje's pace definitely picked up as she approached the group.

"Everyone board the ship. Jaesa, I want you and Vette to send the required information to Sayje. Broonmark and Pierce, I want you to check all the systems on the ship and make sure they're functioning properly, especially the defenses. I don't want her getting any ideas about following us," Seyje ordered. "Quinn, I want to speak to you privately in the medbay."

Once the crew was inside, everyone rushed off to complete their assigned tasks. Broonmark was pleased, and Pierce seemed especially excited to test the ship and see what it was made of. Jaesa and Vette hadn't gotten along well initially, but after with time they had developed into a very efficient pair. Quinn went off on his own to wait, and Seyje had to strongly resist the urge to follow – she had a few things to settle first.


	3. Seyje's Path

Glancing out the bay window, Seyje waited impatiently for her sister's ship to leave so they could take off. No doubt she was busy fussing over the man Seyje had rattled around, but that was no excuse in the Sith's mind. She desperately wanted to speak to Quinn, and she couldn't until they were back out in space and off this desert planet. After an annoyingly long time, the Republic vessel finally roared to life and left the hangar.

Seyje let Jaesa fly the ship while she checked her and Vette's information. Everything seemed in order, and no sooner had she pressed send on the screen when a reply message popped up on her own screen. Seyje entered the coordinates stated into the galaxy map and it pulled up a location near the core worlds.

_What?!_

The Sith roared with exasperation, slamming her fist on the table. Jaesa glanced at her curiously from the captain's chair.

"What's the problem, master?" the apprentice asked.

"Look at this! Damn those Jedi…," Seyje muttered angrily.

Jaesa's jaw dropped.

"Master, we can't go there! We'll be blasted into pieces!" she exclaimed.

"Go where?" Vette said as she popped her head through the doorway.

"The Republic fleet!" Jaesa responded before Seyje could stop her.

"Are you insane? That would be suicide! And no offense, but I'm not really into flying ships right at the enemy," Vette said, her tone thick with hesitant sarcasm.

Seyje stood quietly a moment, thinking. Vette was right. Flying right into the Republic fleet was not an option. But perhaps there was a way around it…

"Jaesa, set the course," she ordered.

Both girls froze and stared at her with shock.

"You can't be serious," said Vette.

"I am. Now set it and inform me the instant we come out of hyperspace," commanded Seyje.

The Sith left her two confused members in the control bay and made a beeline for the medbay. Her heart was pounding with anticipation. Quinn stood waiting for her, and they embraced as soon as she entered the room. The tension inside both of them decreased drastically. Seyje threw her arms around his neck and let out a deep sigh of relief. Her nerves were still a little on edge, but having the captain back in her arms was more calming than he could know.

"Thank the Force you're alright," Seyje murmured, bringing their foreheads together.

She hadn't failed after all. Her captain was still alive and safe here with her, and that was all that mattered.

Quinn pulled Seyje close and brushed a hand against her cheek. Her shaking hands felt cool against his warm face, and he kissed her forehead in an attempt to calm her. To this day, Quinn could still not understand how such a powerful Sith lord could've fallen in love with him. What was so special about him that Seyje would go and attack another man just to save him?

"My lord, I was never in any real danger," he commented.

He felt her tense up – not good. Her head snapped back and she stared at him, stunned by his casual words.

"You can't be serious Quinn. She had her lightsaber to your throat!" Seyje exclaimed, raising a surprised eyebrow at him.

"Perhaps," he said with a nod. "But I think we both know she never would've hurt me."

Her expression darkened, and Quinn's stomach did a tiny summersault.

"I don't care what you _think_ you know, Quinn. My sister is much more dangerous than she looks," the Sith warned. "And the fact that she had the gall to threaten you–"

"My lord, please, I assure you I'm perfectly fine," Quinn said, interrupting her.

Seyje looked at him coldly.

"Regardless, I will kill the next person who dares to try and harm you," she snarled fiercely.

Quinn sighed, a half-smile creeping up his lips. There were some things about his lord that he could never change, one of them being her opinion. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Jaesa appearing in the doorway. Seyje slowly pulled away from Quinn and turned to her apprentice.

"Master, we've arrived at the fleet," Jaesa reported, eyeing Quinn with a sly smirk.

The Captain rolled his eyes. The crew was already fully aware of his relationship with the Sith lord, and yet their teasing still continued relentlessly.

"Thank you, Jaesa. I will join you in a moment," Seyje said with a nod.

The apprentice disappeared.

"My lord, why are we back with the Imperial Fleet? I thought we were pursuing Master Satele," Quinn inquired curiously.

He had not been aware of any changes in the plan. Seyje was silent. Her gaze was lost in the empty doorway. Looking at the Sith, Quinn felt his stomach sink as he realized there had been no change.

"Seyje…"

She didn't even blink.

"We are not in Imperial territory, are we?" he asked carefully.

The Sith nodded slowly. Her eyes turned back to his, and Quinn felt chills creep up his spine. Up until now, the idea of going against the greatest Jedi master in the galaxy had been far away and distant. But now, here they stood in a ship less than half a parsec away from the ultimate challenge. If she won, Seyje would without a doubt become the most powerful being in the galaxy and be able to shape it however she pleased with no one to question her. If she lost, well…the alternative simple wasn't an option.

Seyje took a deep breath, taking Quinn's hands in hers. She looked into his bright blue eyes and a half-smile cracked the furrowed expression on her face.

"Guess there's no turning back now," she chuckled.

"I'll be right behind you, my lord," Quinn said with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.

Seyje appreciated his efforts – it was so typical of him to be like this – but quelling the storm of nerves inside of her was going to take more than a wink. Interlocking their fingers, she led Quinn out to the docking bay where the rest of the crew was waiting. Seyje noticed Quinn's cheeks flush red as soon as Jaesa and Vette started giggling and poking each other. She decided to spare him the comments later and released his hand from her grasp.

Looking out the wide bay window, Seyje stomach sank as she saw numerous Republic ships surrounding Carrick station. She was able to identify, upon closer inspection, several Valor-class cruisers and dozens of Thranta-class corvettes.

_Damn it…there's a lot more of those ships than I anticipated._

"Whoa…" Vette said in awe, echoing the Sith's thoughts.

Seyje peered into the Force, searching for the Jedi Master's presence. There was no sign of her aboard the Carrick, so she focused on the ships. It took a lot of energy from her; there were so many other Force-sensitive beings scurrying about the fleet, no doubt Jedi Generals. The sheer number of other humans, aliens, and droids who weren't even connected to the Force got in the way since they were surrounded by beings that were. Seyje could feel the uneasy eyes of her crew watching her, and she was so close now. After a few more moments, a particular aura of light came forth in the threads of the Force. A closer look showed it was a cruiser called the Valiant. Seyje tensed up; the Jedi Master had revealed herself willingly.

_Satele knows I'm here._

"I hope you've got a plan, my lord, because there's no way we can make it past all those ships," Lieutenant Pierce stated doubtfully.

"Just give me a minute, Pierce," Seyje said, turning to the holocom on the wall.

She made sure to mask her expression so the crew wouldn't find out about her discovery. They had other more pressing concerns right now.

As she was scrolling through the contacts she had saved in the computer, the Sith was suddenly grateful that she had made connections with certain beings that her Jedi sister hadn't. Earlier in life, when Seyje had still been serving Darth Baras, Quinn had suggested the idea of tracking her lineage – and what a glorious idea it had been. Seyje had discovered that her and Sayje were not the only two children of Derrik and Marialla Walker. No, they were only two of six siblings. All six had been separated at birth, and interestingly enough three had grown up in the Empire while three had grown up in the Republic. Hianna and Hienna were both Force-sensitives; the first had become a Jedi Consular while the second had become a Sith Inquisitor. Their two non-Force sensitive siblings had also chosen separate paths; Kiayle was a Republic Trooper and Kieyla was an Imperial Agent. All six Walker siblings had been very successful in their missions, some more than others, but Seyje was extremely thankful right now that Sayje hadn't discovered their other siblings.

Pulling up Kieyla's contact, Seyje set a call for her ship. She wasn't sure what kind of work the Agent would be doing right now, but she needed help – badly. Hopefully Kieyla would be able to provide some kind of assistance. Just then, the holocom beeped with an answering transmission, and a neat, well-dressed woman appeared.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Emperor's Wrath. What can I do for you?" Kieyla asked, her face lighting up with curiosity.

"Hello Agent," Seyje greeted pleasantly. "I need a favor."

"Always eager to help the greatest Sith to walk this galaxy's planets," the woman said brightly.

Seyje couldn't help but smile at the flattering comment. This particular sister of hers didn't exactly seem like a supporter of the Empire at first glance, but behind those eyes hid a woman with a nasty temper.

"She's in a cheery mood," Vette muttered, looking slightly confused at the Agent's odd behavior.

"She knows her place," Quinn said, smirking triumphantly at the Twi'lek's frown.

It wasn't often that the Captain had his chance to get back at Vette for all her teasing, but when he did he jumped at it.

"Will the lot of you shut up?" hissed Seyje, glaring at the two trouble-makers behind her. "I apologize for my crew, Agent. They can be rather disruptive sometimes."

"Oh, it's no problem, my lord. You were saying about the favor?"

"Yes, I need you to figure out a way to pull the Republic fleet away from a particular cruiser," she said sternly.

The cheery atmosphere around the Agent vanished, and the tension within the Fury of Darkness began to rise.

"My lord, I'm afraid I cannot assist you with such a steep request unless I know the details," Kieyla said, frowning.

"Then bring your superiors into the room so that I don't have to repeat myself," Seyje commanded.

"Yes, my lord."

The figure on the holocom vanished for a few minutes. During her absence, unspoken words hovered over the room. Quinn was racking his brain for all the possible outcomes of their current predicament, and so far he didn't have any answers that ended well. It was killing him to have to watch his lord practically plan her own execution. Why did they have to cut down all those Republic commandos on Corellia? How were they supposed to know that Sayje was leading the forces there at the same time Seyje was rescuing Darth Vowran from Baras' assassins? The whole situation seemed like a mess to Quinn. His lord might be the Emperor's Wrath, but that didn't mean she would be able to stand up against the greatest Jedi Master in the galaxy. His eyes were drawn back to the wall as Kieyla reappeared on the holocom.

"They are all here. Go ahead, Wrath," said the Agent with a hand gesture.

"The situation is this. In exchange for the location of the Emperor, I've been given the coordinates to Master Satele's vessel and have successfully tracked her down. However, her ship, the Valiant, is still too close to the Republic fleet for me to attack. I need Imperial Intelligence to distract the fleet so that I can board the Jedi's vessel and make my assault," Seyje explained.

She could hear voices in the background of the holo image, and they sounded confused. The Sith stood waiting with her hands behind her back, much like the stance Quinn so often held and currently was at the moment. A small smile of amusement crept across the Captain's face as he took notice – she didn't even realize she was doing it.

"My lord, I'm afraid we don't quite understand the situation," Kieyla reported, continuously shifting her gaze from the holo to the invisible people behind her. "Who gave you this information? And why would you trade it for the Emperor's location?"

Seyje's jaw tightened. Although she had been expecting this question, she had hoped they would avoid asking it.

"My sister, the Jedi Knight Sayje, was the one who told me," the Sith snarled, eyes flashing. "I agreed to tell her where the Emperor was in exchange for Satele's location. My reasons for doing so are my own, however, and will remain as such."

There really was no need for her to say so. It was already obvious to everyone that Seyje was sending her sister to do what no one else in the Empire would, or could.

"As you say, Wrath. We will do our best to draw the attention of the Republic fleet away from you, but it will take time," Kieyla admitted.

"I do not have the luxury of time, and neither do any of you," Seyje snapped. "My sister will have arrived on Dromund Kaas by now, which means we have less than twelve hours to complete this mission before she comes looking for Satele."

"Twelve hours?" exclaimed the Agent. "My lord, it simply cannot be done! We cannot assemble the entire Imperial fleet and arrive within that time frame."

"I do not need the full fleet," the Sith hissed. "I need a distraction, one that will grab the attention of the Republic and hold it until I am finished."

The pixelated image of Kieyla turned her back to Seyje and low voices could be heard off-holo. With each passing second, the Sith became more and more certain that this would end in failure. How could she be so stupid? Of course Imperial Intelligence wouldn't be able to help her.

"My lord," Kieyla said, her voice drawing Seyje out of her trance. "It appears you are in luck. Half of the Imperial fleet is on their way to Balmorra. If you'd like, we can transmit a message for them to fly through space near Coruscant on their way and remain there until your mission has been completed."

Seyje breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Turns out she had been wrong after all.

"Perfect. Relay it as soon as possible."

"Transmitting message…now. I will remain online until they respond," the Agent said. "Since it was flagged as an emergency, it should not be long before – oh! There it is now. The fleet is on their way, my lord."

"Thank you, Agent," Seyje said, nodding her head.

"Always a pleasure. Good luck, my lord," Kieyla replied with a bow.

The holocom went silent, and the Sith turned back to her crew. They had shifted around the room and now stood in a half-circle around her.

"What do we do now, my lord?" Pierce asked.

As if on cue, the distant roar of engines was heard. They all turned to look out the bay window and saw dozens of Imperial star-destroyers jumping out of hyperspace on the other side of the fleet from where the Fury of Darkness lay in wait. Seyje took a deep breath.

This was it.

"We attack."


	4. Sith's Plan

The plan was this. To start off, they had to land the Fury of Darkness inside the Valiant. Once the ship was docked, the crew would split off into pairs. Broonmark and Pierce would stay with the ship and kill anyone that found them. Seyje and Jaesa would search for Master Satele. Quinn and Vette would look for a way to temporarily shut down the power to prevent the ship from sending out a distress call. The chance of risk at being discovered by the rest of the fleet was high, but they would have to put their trust in the Empire if this plan was going to succeed.

Looking out the bay window across space, Seyje watched as the entire Republic fleet repositioned itself so that all cruisers and corvettes were in-between Carrick and the Imperial star-destroyers. Neither side attacked, but the threat was too high to ignore. Only the Valiant remained on the side closest to the Fury of Darkness.

Quinn sat in the captain's chair, steering the ship. He glanced up at the Sith standing next to him, and she gave him a nod to proceed. Slowly, the vessel approached the large cruiser. It looked somewhat like a rounded star-destroyer with an extra level underneath the main floor. As they came closer to an open hangar, Seyje started to get nervous. First off, the hangar doors of this cruiser shouldn't have just been left open for anyone to dock. All the doors likely had specific codes that required a certain level of authorization. Secondly, as Quinn brought the ship inside, there was not a soul in sight. No troopers, no aliens, not even a droid was to be found – very suspicious.

"Right then…you all have your assigned tasks," Seyje said, turning to her crew.

The grim looks on their faces almost made her tell Quinn to turn the ship around, but she held her tongue. There was no escape for them now. Satele knew they were here, and if they tried to leave or told Imperial Intelligence they had chickened out, well there would be no end to the embarrassment.

"Get moving. We have no time to waste," she ordered.

Quinn caught her gaze, and there was no mistaking the worry behind his eyes. Seyje gave him a reassuring nod, but his expression didn't change. There was no telling if she would make it back alive, or if her and Jaesa would even make it back at all. She desperately wanted to be back with Quinn in the medbay, when it was only the two of them comforting each other in the silence. Well, the comforting part hadn't really been effective, but just being there with him had been calming enough. The pain of leaving him with no guarantee of ever returning yanked at her heartstrings and was stretching them to the limit.

The shuffling of the other members forced Quinn to break eye contact and follow the small crowd to the entrance of the ship. The valves hissed loudly and the metal creaked a couple times as the ramp extended down onto enemy ground. They all exited the ship and stood huddled together. The interior of the cruiser did not look very different than a starship. Metal beams hung from the ceiling and the walls were a damp gray color. The hangar itself had one entrance for ships to get in and out and four blaster doors across the room to protect the rest of the ship in case the hangar was breached. The only real difference was the Republican banners in the doorways and the lavishly designed brown and gold carpets on the floors. A quiet humming sound filled the air. Glancing around, Quinn saw a force field in place where the hangar doors should've been.

"My lord," he said, motioning towards the energy.

She turned, eyes trailing the path his finger made, and gasped once she caught sight of it. The sound made everyone's head turn at the same time as if on command.

"Where did that blasted thing come from?" Pierce demanded.

"It doesn't matter, we can't leave until it's gone. Quinn. Vette," Seyje started to say, but the Captain beat her to it.

"Find a way to shut down the force field," he said.

"Precisely," she replied, nodding with approval. "Shutting down the power should do the trick, but stay on guard. That goes for all of you."

Seyje looked around at each member of her crew: Vette from Korriban, Malavai Quinn from Balmorra, Jaesa Willsaam from Hutta, Lieutenant Pierce from Taris, and Broonmark from Hoth. Such an unlikely group of companions, yet all working together like a family. They had all been with each other for so long, it was hard to believe that their time together was boiled down to this one, possibly final, mission. The Force was too clouded for her to see what the future held, but perhaps it was better this way. Right now, Seyje didn't want to rely on forseen events to shape the outcome of her situation; she was going to make this happen herself.

"Good luck everyone," the Sith said, her tone sounded a little more solemn than she meant it to.

"Hey, be careful out there. I don't really want to clean up a big mess once you get back," Vette teased.

Seyje chuckled and smiled warmly at her. The Twi'lek always knew what to say to lighten the mood, even if her timing wasn't always the most appropriate.

"Yeah. What she said," Pierce said in awkward agreement.

"[Sith let us get our revenge. Now time to satisfy their lust for blood]," Broonmark growled in his native tongue.

Seyje nodded, letting the Talz's words spark the fire of hatred she held towards the Jedi. But before the flames could ignite, she glanced at Quinn. They had already said their goodbyes to each other in the medbay, but it didn't make this moment any less painful for her. If they were alone, Seyje would have thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him like there was no tomorrow – which right now seemed very possible. Quinn bowed his head to her, reconnecting his pained gaze as soon as he looked back up. Time was running short, and they only had nine hours left to complete the mission.

"Jaesa," Seyje called.

The apprentice stepped forward, grabbing her double-sided lightsaber from her belt.

"I am ready, Master," she said confidently.

Seyje looked at Quinn one last time, using every precious second to memorize the details of his face. After a moment, she turned and fled down one of the halls with Jaesa on her heels, and the two Sith vanished in the shadows.


	5. Bridge of the Valiant

The cruiser was quiet as the Sith girls stole through the shadows of the metal halls. Too quiet. No one had come running when they used an elevator to go up to the bay level, which was highly unusual since the gears on that thing were so loud. They should've been noticed, but they weren't.

"My lord…" Jaesa whispered, catching Seyje's eye. "Where are all the guards?"

Seyje glanced around and slowed her pace to listen more carefully. She could hear nothing, which could only mean one thing. There was no denying the looming sense of impending trouble as they walked further towards the bridge of the ship. The Sith reached out into the Force and sensed a large group of multiple presences on the level below them. Seyje stopped in her tracks, and Jaesa had to stumble backward to keep from running into her.

"My lord, what–?"

"It can't be…" she gasped.

Seyje delved fully into the Force, trying to grasp the situation. The amassed numbers of auras in one place were not there by mistake. Looking closer, she could feel both humans and aliens. No doubt there would be droids among them.

_The soldiers are waiting to ambush my crew. Pierce. Broonmark. Vette. Quinn!_

Seyje whirled around, her heart racing in her chest with fear.

"We have to go back," she said hurriedly as she rushed down the hall.

"Wait a minute, my lord!" Jaesa exclaimed, jumping to block her master's pathway.

Seyje tried to get around her, but the apprentice held her ground.

"What is going on?" she demanded.

"Don't you sense it?" Seyje snapped. "Satele set a trap for the others! We have to go back and help them!"

She tried jumping around her apprentice again, but Jaesa was too quick.

"Are you crazy?! We did not come all this way to be turned back by a couple soldiers," Jaesa protested, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

She shifted her weight and stared at her master with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Don't you have any faith in those guys?"

The question stopped Seyje in her tracks. Jaesa was questioning her loyalty? She mentally backtracked to consider her apprentice's words, and it took her a second to realize just how foolish turning around would be. They were trapped either way, and going back would only mean prolonging their stay here. If Satele was neutralized, then their chances of escape would likely improve – hopefully by a lot.

Seyje sighed.

"All right. We continue, but we make this fast. I won't risk any of them getting hurt on _my_ account," she said with a determined snarl.

The Sith turned and fled down the hall once more with Jaesa at her heels. Their footsteps were so silent, it was almost like they were gliding over the floors like ghosts instead of walking.

After a few more minutes of dead ends and obnoxiously long hallways, the two Sith arrived at a large door. A glowing, blue Republic logo marked the middle between the two panels.

"The bridge of the ship…" Jaesa whispered breathlessly.

Seyje spotted a console next to the doorway and sliced right through it with her lightsaber. Electrical bolts jumped out of the metal box as its energy sparked away, and the doors slid open with a loud hiss to reveal a large, oval-shaped room. It was dimly lit, and the tall ceiling looked like a mere wisp of a shadow. Just inside the doors on either side were two empty floored areas, both barricaded off with a row of poles attached to each other with a thick rope. They appeared to be used for containing large congregations of people. A long carpet was laid down the middle as a walkway, and at the end of it was a single staircase. It led up to an elevated area where one long control console rung around the curved wall – likely the main console for the entire ship. A metal railing trailed up both sides of the staircase, then turned a full 90 degrees and continued until it reached the walls. No doubt it was to keep people from falling off.

_Typical. Always trying to keep everyone safe in the Republic. _

At the very end of the room, three large bay windows revealed the black, twinkling space outside the ship. The standoff between the Republic and Imperial fleets could be seen clearly from the elevated floor. Coruscant's bronze atmosphere glowed against the black sky on the left side of the fleets.

As the two Sith approached, Seyje could see a figure standing near the middle of the console. It was a female, tall and lean, with dark brown hair made into four short braids – two in the back and one on either side of her head. A double-sided lightsaber hung from her belt.

Master Satele Shan.

Seyje's boots clicked softly on the stairs as her and Jaesa approached, but the Jedi made no movement at the sound. Instead, she kept her gaze focused outside and spoke.

"I have been tracking you for a while, young Sith."

_Is that so? I have yet to see any results from it. _

Seyje let her emotions start to fume and said nothing, waiting to see what the Jedi had to say.

"I know that you used your sister to get here. It is a shame you forced her to bargain," Satele murmured, her head tilting downward.

"What?" Seyje barked in astonishment.

She hadn't planned on interrupting so soon, but her thoughts came out in a rush before she could stop herself. Her words sounded cold and harsh, like nails on a chalkboard.

"It's a shame that she didn't have more cards to play in our little game? Is that what you mean?"

This Jedi made it sound like Seyje was just another Sith, and she most certainly was not. Satele turned to face the two girls.

"A shame that you turned out to be the exact opposite of who I thought you were, Seyje," she said, her voice thick with disappointment.

The torment was clear across Satele's face, an expression that caught Seyje off-guard. Since when did Jedi care about the traits of a Sith? She didn't think Satele had such a strong opinion about her, but apparently the Jedi did and Seyje was curious to hear what it was.

"Is that so? And just who do you think I am, Satele?" she challenged. "I was not named the Emperor's Wrath by accident."

The Jedi Master gazed at her for a few moments without a single flicker of emotion crossing her face. Seyje tried to pick out something from the Force, something she could use to fuel her own power, but she could sense only peace emitting from Satele.  
Seyje scoffed to herself and turned her head away with disgust. How could the Jedi stand to live like that? They obviously had never tasted the electrifying rush of embracing one's passions.

She glanced back at Satele, and was slightly surprised to see the Jedi had turned back around to face the bay windows.

"I do not know what to think of you anymore…" Satele said quietly.

_What is that supposed to mean?_

Seyje didn't know how to respond to such a remark. The Jedi continued, her words soft and reminiscent.

"Master Timmns spoke so highly of you after Belsavis. He said you were willing to work together with him despite your differences and unite against one enemy."

The memory of the green mirialan Jedi brought an amused half-smile to the Sith's lips.

"Not like I had a choice," Seyje said with a chuckle. "He didn't exactly leave those computers intact for me."

"And yet you trusted him long enough to accept his help," Satele pointed out, turning back to face them.

The Sith's eyes narrowed, her cheery mood immediately turning wary.

"What are you getting at?" she asked suspiciously.

Satele paused a moment, studying the two girls before she spoke again.

"Why are you here, Seyje?"

_Jedi just love playing games, don't they? Answering my question with another question. _

The Sith didn't answer. She was feeling rather annoyed with Satele at the moment. Why didn't Satele just give her a straight answer and be done with it? All this small talk was getting rather boring.

Suddenly, the Jedi said something that completely threw Seyje completely off-balance.

"All your life you've been wavering between the Light and the Dark. As a Sith and the Emperor's Wrath, you feel compelled to follow the ruthless ways of the Dark Side, but I sense that the Light within you out of your own true nature."

Seyje froze, too stunned to speak, and Satele continued.

"You cut down those who oppose the Empire, and yet you show mercy to those who can't afford to. You strike fear into the hearts of those who defy you, and yet you inspire those who support you. Explain."

A cold chill settled on Seyje's chest. She suddenly felt exposed in front of this Jedi, like an invisible wall protecting her had been shattered. How closely had the Jedi Council been watching her? The only Light sided action they should've known about was her alliance with Master Timmns, and yet it was if they had an entire profile about her.

"I don't need to explain anything to you," Seyje snapped, her voice laced with faint traces of anxiety.

_Stop it. _

She couldn't have fear. Not here. Not moments before her greatest triumph.

"No, you don't," Satele agreed. "Regardless, I will tell you what I believe to be true, and you may choose how we proceed from there."

Seyje said nothing. How could she? This Jedi had her cornered and was ruining everything by trying to sway Seyje's unspoken decision with her words. Seyje could choose? To do what? To change her mind?

_Not happening. _

The Sith stole a glance at her apprentice. Jaesa had an unreadable expression on her face – something between uncertainty and concern. Looking back at Satele, Seyje's sapphire blue eyes locked with her steel gray ones. The atmosphere between them was incredibly tense as peace and serenity collided with anger and fear. Satele spoke again, her tone fluctuating with mystified suspicion.

"You are here to prove yourself worthy. Not to any master, but to you. You had no reason to help your sister find the Emperor, yet you did, not only out of spite for the one you answer to, but because you wanted to challenge yourself. You see me as a worthy opponent, a final test of your strength and power."

Seyje's jaw dropped slightly, and she quickly closed it before Satele could notice. Her head was reeling with shock. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to find out that the Jedi knew everything about her. The plan was to get in and get out as fast as they could, but now…everything had changed.

"I believe you also wish to prove your superiority to your sisters," Satele said calmly.  
Seyje froze.

_She knows?_

The Jedi nodded. Seyje hadn't even said anything and Satele knew exactly what was going through her mind.

"The Walker Legacy is quite well-known among the Jedi Council. The six daughters of Derrik and Marialla, all separated at birth. Your other five–"

"Shut up!" Seyje roared.

Her blood was boiling with hot fury; she had heard enough. Satele knew much more than Seyje would have ever given her credit for. But it didn't matter. Not anymore.

"I don't know how you know so much about me, Jedi," she spat furiously, "And I don't care. Go ahead and broadcast it all over the galaxy if you'd like."

Igniting her lightsabers, Seyje took a few steps to the left along the railing. Jaesa followed suite and stepped to the right so that they had Satele surrounded. The Jedi's eyes shifted back and forth between them as she watched them move, her hand slowly moving to the hilt of her own weapon.

"I did not endanger my crew by coming here just to be brainwashed into believing that I shouldn't fight you," Seyje snarled coldly.

Satele was silent for a moment. There was a hint of disbelief in her voice as she spoke.

"Do you really intend to kill me, Seyje?"

The Sith stopped moving, poising herself to attack. She could sense the hesitation from Jaesa, and decided to ignore it. Her apprentice may have disagreed with her decisions from time to time, but she was above all else very obedient. Besides, this was going to be fun.

"Why don't we find out?"

Satele's eyes flickered to Jaesa, then back to Seyje, and the Sith could've sworn she saw a glint of fear behind the Jedi's eyes.

"Two against one?" Satele asked, her eyes narrowing.

Seyje chuckled darkly. The Jedi Master had no idea what she was truly up against.

_I am the Emperor's Wrath, the most powerful Sith in this galaxy. Jaesa is my apprentice, meaning she has learned from the best. You will never be able to defeat us, Satele. Not in a million years._

Indeed, this was going to be _very_ fun. Seyje sneered, her eyes glowing red as she coiled to attack.

"Whoever said Sith fight fair?"


	6. Darth Seyje vs Satele Shan

The attack came fast, hard, giving the Jedi Master very little time to react. She ignited her own lightsaber seconds before two red ones came down from the left and one gold one from the right. The air crackled and sparks flew across the floor from the force of the four weapons striking each other.

Seyje pulled one of hers back and thrust it underneath the lightsaber shielding Satele's body, but the Jedi dodged and Seyje's weapon went straight into the computer console. She was thrown to the side by the Force and collided with Jaesa, knocking them both to the floor. The console began to crackle and spark from the inner damage; the three warriors leaped back to avoid the mini explosion soon after. Seyje snarled under her breath and charged at Satele with Jaesa at her side.

For the second they were in mid-air, Seyje stole a glance into the Force aura of her apprentice. There was obedience, as usual, but underneath she sensed much confliction.

_Damn it Jaesa, focus!_

The two Sith smashed their fists into the ground simultaneously, creating red sparks, and sent Satele flying across the floor. Her weapon fell out of her hand and clunked to the ground a few feet away. The Jedi rolled back onto her feet and leapt up into the air just as a red lightsaber spun through the air like a boomerang where she had been standing. Satele landed with her fist facing down, sending a blue wave of energy sweeping across the floors and knocking the two girls to the ground. Metal clatters echoed across the room as they were disarmed.

The Jedi turned and leapt at the Sith, recalling her lightsaber while in air. Seyje rolled to the right as the ground next to her was seared open from the blue weapon. She kicked out, her foot connecting with the Jedi's calf, and Satele fell hard onto her back; Seyje heard a grunt of pain. Her hands flew to the floor by her ears, and she kicked her feet up to backflip into the air.

Using the Force as a guide, Seyje landed lightly on top of the railing like a cat. Her eyes assessed the situation in milliseconds. Satele was facing her, blue double-sided lightsaber ignited in hand. Jaesa appeared in a daze and was holding a hand to her temple – most likely had bumped her head a little too hard on the computer console. The other held her double-sided golden lightsaber.

The apprentice looked up and locked eyes with Seyje. The confliction she saw earlier no longer existed behind Jaesa's amber iris, and a malicious sneer spread across the Sith's face. Satele noticed and her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Jaesa shouted ferociously and attacked from behind, catching Satele off-guard as she whirled around to defend herself. The Jedi and former padawan spun across the elevated floor of the bridge, their double-sided lightsabers humming and crackling as they engaged each other. Their movements were smooth, making the battle look more like a dance than a fight.

Seyje remained crouching on the railing, using one hand to keep herself steady. Watching from afar, she took the time to gather her strength and was fascinated at how well Jaesa was holding her own. Her apprentice was much more vocal with her attacks, grunting with effort and shouting with frustration whenever she was blocked. Satele seemed surprised at the power within the former padawan, but not overwhelmed. She parried every attack from Jaesa and was able to counter back with some of her own. As more time passed, Seyje could see the strength was slowly waning from the Jedi. She jumped down from the railing, landing lightly on her feet. Her two lightsabers appeared in her hands, and she slowly began walking towards the fighting duo. They were locked in battle on the other side of the elevated area.

Satele ducked down as Jaesa's lightsaber slashed across the front of her body, and the weapon sliced through empty air. She kicked out, hitting Jaesa's chest and making her stumble back. Jaesa snarled and stepped forward, regaining her lost ground, and parried another strike from the Jedi. The two girls spun around each other, switching places as their lightsabers grazed each other. Satele looked up, and her eyes widened as she caught sight of Seyje walking towards them. Wisps of black energy swirled around the Sith's hands and feet, her eyes glowing blood red. A smirk spread across her lips, revealing razor sharp canines. With a grunt, the Jedi Master leapt to the left over the balcony railing, her feet landing hard on the floor below, and she whirled around with her lightsaber held perpendicular to her body behind her back.

Jaesa, unaware of her master's approaching presence, snarled viciously down at the Jedi. She swiftly bounded over the railing with a victorious roar, her golden lightsaber spinning in one hand above her head. Seyje realized Satele's plan a second too late and time seemed to suddenly slow. Jaesa flew towards the Jedi, her whole front side exposed. Satele kept her body still and only moved her arms and wrists to move her weapon forward. As soon as the apprentice was close enough, Satele stood and slashed upwards across her body, spinning to the left to avoid contact.

Jaesa's body slammed down and slid across the ground into the poles of the empty floor areas, causing them to topple on top of her in a heap. With a cry, she doubled-over, clutching her chest in pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gasped and writhed on the floor, leaving the poles scattered around her. Seyje stood gaping in shock. The blue lightsaber had gone straight through the robes and made a diagonal burn from her inner left thigh to the edge of her right shoulder, burning deepest in the middle of her chest.

_Jaesa…_

A spark shot up the Sith's spine, piercing the back of her skull with hatred. Her bottom lip trembled with rage. That burn was severe and possibly life-threatening. There was no way Jaesa would be able to keep fighting, but she had done her part.

Seyje glared furiously at Satele. The Jedi was breathing unevenly and glistening with sweat, and she felt only minimal satisfaction at the sight of Satele's weakened state. The Jedi suddenly winced slightly, and Seyje noticed a few burns on both of Satele's arms. They weren't serious, not even close to the one Jaesa had, but just in the right spots where they would slow the Jedi down. Seyje growled threateningly.

_Perfect – payback time._

She cleared the stairs in one leap and struck hard at Satele. The Jedi blocked it, but only half as strong as before. Seyje spun and wasted no time in blasting Satele with a Ravage attack. The Jedi struggled to defend herself as the twin red blades slashed down on her repeatedly, which only pushed the Sith to go harder. In the middle of the attack, Satele saw an opening and pushed Seyje backwards with a blue cloud of Force. The Sith had to cross her hands in front of her face to stay balanced, but remained on her feet. As soon as the wall against her faded, she leapt forward…at nothing.

Satele had vanished.

With an angry snarl, Seyje's eyes began to dart around the room. She dug into the Force, seeking to pinpoint the Jedi's location, but Satele's aura was too spread out for her to see properly.

"Had enough yet, Jedi?" she shouted tauntingly. "Are you going to run away and hide  
instead of admit defeat?"

Seyje turned in circles, searching every little corner of the sparsely filled room. There were very few places to hide, and yet Satele seemed to have found one. Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"She will survive, but only if the burn is treated immediately."

Seyje whirled around, and was shocked to see Satele crouching over Jaesa with a hand on her forehead. Her apprentice's face had paled a ghostly white color, and she was having involuntarily muscle spasms. The sight made the Sith's head spin. The damage was worse than she initially thought. An icy fire of loathing burned in her gut – the thirst for revenge made her mouth dry.

"Get the hell away from my apprentice," Seyje snarled threateningly.

Satele eyed her skeptically.

"You forget she was once–"

"NOW!"

The Sith roared savagely, striking at the floor where Satele sat seconds before. The Jedi dodged, but she was very surprised at the speed of the attack. Seyje had never moved so quickly before, but the power of the rage flowing through her veins heightened her senses drastically. She shivered as a rush of energy shot up her spine. Every little detail in the room now stood out to her like blood on snow. Seyje had only ever experienced anything like this once before, and the memory was not a pleasant one. Almost involuntarily, the Sith Code began to replay in her head.

_Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me._

Satele glared at the Sith standing over her fallen apprentice. Only now did she see that the bloodlust would not be quenched until she was defeated. If it was to be so, she would not make it an easy victory for them. The Jedi closed her eyes and opened herself up to the Force, letting it thrum vibrantly through her body.

_There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force._

She took a deep breath, letting its power ease away her fatigue and renew her strength. A dark tremor drew her out of the trance, and she realized that Seyje was drawing from the power of the Force as well, only from the flip-side of the coin.

Seyje became aware that she was still standing near Jaesa, and moved onto the carpet that led down the middle of the floor. She began to pace back and forth across it; Satele followed suit. The Master and the Darth faced each other, each waiting for the other to attack. The twin red lightsabers ignited first, followed closely behind by the double-sided blue. Red moved forward first, blue parried, and soon the two Force-sensitives spun across the floor in a vicious dance of death.

As they moved around the room, the bridge slowly began to turn into a warzone. The floors were split apart and bent upwards in dangerous ridges from the heat of the lightsabers striking them. The poles lined up along the walkway were now heaps of scrap metal. Even the walls were scathed in a few areas where Seyje had attempted to throw her lightsabers at Satele and missed.

Time became nonexistent as the battle raged. Neither woman could overpower the other as they continued to dance and slash at each other. Both were greatly fatigued, struggling hard for breath and sheening with sweat, but the level of strength they fought with never decreased.

Seyje advanced forward and kicked out, knocking Satele backwards. In that instant, she stole a glance at Jaesa. Her apprentice was unconscious but still alive; her breathing was very shallow.

_She's running out of time…_

For some reason, Seyje suddenly thought of a move she had used on Sayje last time they saw each other. The Sith put her subdued lightsabers on the ground and backflipped so that it appeared she still wielded her weapons. Satele's tired mind was too foggy to notice the trick, and she leapt forward unaware of the trap.

As soon as both girls landed on their feet, Seyje recalled her lightsabers to her hands and used the Force to ignite them early. The red energy seared through Satele's thighs, and the Jedi hissed in pain, stumbling back from the surprise assault. Seyje could sense the frustration within her and paused in her attack to revel in the feeling. However, Satele jumped forward unexpectedly and slashed horizontally across her body.

_How is she still standing?!_

The blue energy barely missed Seyje's fingers and instead sliced through the lightsaber in her left hand. It fell to the floor, broken and useless. Satele struck again, but this time Seyje was able to use her free hand to throw the Jedi backward, and Satele crashed into the floor on her back.

Being forced to use a single weapon felt strange and aggravated Seyje to no end. She had been wielding two lightsabers for years now, and the single one in her hand felt heavy and awkward as she reluctantly held it with two hands. Winning was going to require twice as much effort now, and Seyje didn't know how much more she could give. Her muscles were shaking from exhaustion and dehydration, beads of sweat dripping down her face.

The Sith thought of her crew, trapped in the hangar by the soldiers still aboard the Valiant. No alarm or warning signal had gone off yet, but once it did, the crew would become victims of an onslaught. If her and Jaesa didn't make it back in time, the others would have to leave them behind to be rescued later.

Seyje looked up as Satele slowly stood to her feet. The Jedi Master looked just as worn out as she did, and her eyes were filled with confusion. Seyje figured she could ask for clarity later; for now, she had to keep fighting or die trying.

Seyje leaped forward. The red and blue lightsabers hummed and crackled as they crashed into each other, sending sparks flitting across the floors. Satele spun, and Seyje couldn't pull her head back in time before the Jedi's elbow hit her face. She stepped back, momentarily blinded, and snarled angrily as she blocked another strike. The strength of the blow forced her to put two hands on her lightsaber before she was able to push Satele back.

Seyje suddenly realized she had a free hand to do as she wished with, and she spotted the heap of wrecked poles over Satele's shoulder. Reaching out with the Force, Seyje pulled one towards her and ducked down. It came quickly and slammed into Satele's back, making a sickening crack and sending her face-first into the ground. Seyje whirled around and leaped forward, but the Jedi spun and kicked up. Her foot met Seyje's ribs as she came down, and the Sith was knocked to the side, her only lightsaber spinning across the floor.

Seyje stood, clutching her chest painfully, and she mentally added broken ribcage to her list of current injuries to be dealt with, the first being Jaesa's burn. Glancing up, she saw Satele advancing towards her and instinctively reached to her belt, only to realize she had no weapon. With a gasp, her eyes darted around the room and she spotted her lightsaber near the base of the stairway. Seyje rolled to the right as Satele's blue lightsaber scorched another fissure into the floor, and she jumped up running towards her weapon.

It appeared back in her hand moments before she had to parry another attack from the Jedi. With only one weapon, Seyje knew she would never be able to win this fight. She wasn't used to defending her whole body; with two weapons, she was usually able to leave part of herself exposed and protect it with her second lightsaber. With one lightsaber, the tables were starting to turn in the Jedi's favor. Glancing again at her fallen apprentice, Seyje realized there was another option for her.

She blasted Satele backwards with a Force Scream, the sound echoing through the bridge. The Jedi stepped back and covered her ears, her eyes squinting shut from the energy wave it created. When she looked up again, Seyje stood with a red lightsaber in her right hand and was holding a double-sided golden lightsaber above her head in her left hand – Jaesa's weapon. A malicious grin spread across her lips.

Satele's already racing heart beat quickened. Her mind was drawn back to the day the Sith Empire retook Korriban from the Republic. Only one other person in her life had been able to wield such weapons without harming themselves; Kao Cen Darach, her first Master. He had been killed by Darth Malgus when the Sith was still an apprentice to Lord Vindican at the time, and Satele herself had only been a padawan. It seemed like ages ago, but to this day, Master Darach was the only person Satele knew who had been able to fight with both a single and double-sided lightsaber at the same time. The Sith who now stood before her wielding such weapons without an ounce of hesitation both disturbed and frightened Satele.

Seyje could sense the sparks of emotion inside the Jedi, and she chuckled darkly. The battle was back in her favor. With another roar, she leapt down the stairs and attacked Satele.

The two engaged in another dance of death, but this time it was much different. The odds were against the Jedi. Seyje's mastery over wielding three blades was astounding to Satele. She could not understand how such a young and newly named Darth could be so powerful, and yet she felt almost a sense of respect for the Sith – Seyje was truly a Master of the Force.

Seyje's newfound fighting style wore out Satele quickly. Before she realized what was happening, Satele found herself laying at the base of the staircase, disarmed and utterly exhausted. She couldn't move. The burns and bruises across her back, arms, and thighs were too severe. Her muscles ached from the strenuous battle. Never before had she fought like that, and she likely never would again. A part of her brain didn't understand how she possibly could've fallen to a Sith. Satele had fought numerous Sith lords in the past and defeated all of them – including Darth Malgus – and yet here she was at the mercy of the Emperor's Wrath.

Satele glanced up at Seyje standing over her, and her gaze was met with glowing red eyes. She never would've thought that Seyje would take such drastic measures against the Republic by attacking her, and yet here she was defeated by the very Sith claiming to be their ally.

Satele closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow…but it never came. She looked up and saw Seyje chewing her bottom lip, deep in thought. Both hers and Jaesa's lightsabers hung from her belt. Peering into the Force, Satele was surprised to find that all the anger and hatred that had controlled Seyje's actions earlier had transformed into something else entirely. Confliction? Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. What exactly was this Sith thinking about?

Seyje gazed down at her enemy, now broken and weak. The battle had been an exhilarating rush of excitement, but the exhaustion she felt earlier came sweeping in again, as well as the throbbing of her broken ribs. The only question remaining was what to do with Master Satele.

_I could kill her. It would certainly make a statement of my power. _

Images of the battle flashed through Seyje's mind. She had never been pushed that hard in all her life – not even during her training days on Korriban. The fact that a Jedi was able to do to her what no Sith could had a special meaning. Satele was worth something immeasurable.

_No wonder she's the Grand Master of all Jedi. _

The Sith thought hard about the consequences of her two options – kill Satele or let her go. Was it really worth it to put an end to the Master's life? The result would likely lead to a lot of guilt as well as her being hunted down by every Jedi in the galaxy. But if she let her go, would she regret it? Chances were probably not, but–

_Hold on, guilt? Why would I feel guilty about it?_

Her sapphire eyes looked deep into the Jedi's. The calming aura of peace surrounding Satele was strong, despite her weakened state. Seyje sighed, catching the interest of the Jedi at her feet. The fact was that there was one thing Satele had that the Sith would never be able to earn – respect.

_People follow her willingly because they want to; people follow me out of fear because they don't have a choice. _

Seyje turned away and began to walk towards her apprentice; Jaesa was just starting to reawaken. She hadn't gone more than two steps when the Jedi behind her spoke.

"You're not going to kill me?"

The Sith stopped, keeping her back to Satele as she responded.

"No."

Upon reaching Jaesa's side, Seyje cringed when she saw the burn mark down her body. They had to get back to the ship as soon as possible. She kneeled down next to her apprentice, gently pulling her up into a sitting position.

"Careful now," Seyje murmured as she helped Jaesa to her feet.

Her apprentice winced, breathing in sharply and gasping slightly as she moved her injured body. The Sith put an arm around Jaesa's waist to keep her standing, and pulled one of Jaesa's arms around her shoulders as extra support. The extra weight only added to the sting in her ribcage, but she ignored it.

Slowly, Seyje turned the two of them so they were facing Satele again. The Jedi had rolled to her side so her torso was turned towards them, and she was using both arms to keep herself upright. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two Sith, the expression on her face different than before – more confused than suspicious.

"Why not?" Satele asked.

The room was silent for a moment.

"I have learned much from you today, Jedi," Seyje said softly, her voice ringing with admiration.

Her tone was much different than either Jaesa or Satele was expecting. It did not carry harshness or anger, but wonder and awe. A great weight was lifted from the atmosphere as she spoke and the air began to clear of darkness.

"I don't understand. You knew I was coming to kill you, and yet you did not try to stop me. You accepted it as fate and let me come."

Sapphire eyes locked with sky blues, relaying unspoken messages of high esteem.

"You were my greatest challenge, Satele. Even now, as you lay there defeated, I can sense the calm and the power within you."

Seyje shifted, her shoulders and arm growing sore from supporting Jaesa's weight. A snarl suddenly came from the Sith's lips, startling the other two women as her voice became icy.

"While killing you would be the sweetest revenge against my despicable sister…I will not be responsible for the death of the Master of all Jedi," and with a softer tone said "– not when there are so few as powerful as us. It would destroy the balance of the Force, as well as put an insanely high bounty on my head."

A half-smile appeared on Seyje's lips as she joked. Surprise emitted from both Jaesa and Satele as they listened to her. Neither of them thought she would've spoken about the harmony between Light and Dark; it made sense, however, since it was a battle Seyje faced within herself every day.

"You're not like other Sith, Seyje…" Satele said admirably. "Perhaps with you, we can someday forge an alliance of peace between the Sith and the Jedi."

"Perhaps…" Seyje murmured. "But I'm afraid such an alliance will have to wait."

Her eyes flashed dangerously. The Sith raised a hand, and Satele suddenly felt her airways closed off. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she was powerless to fight back. How was it that Sith's moods could change so quickly?

"I'm sorry, Satele, but I need to create a diversion if I am to save my crew. And the only way I know how is to send people looking for you," Seyje said apologetically.

She was being sincere, and didn't want to leave on so abruptly, but there were no other options left.

Satele desperately gasped for air, her already weary mind fogging over from the lack of oxygen. The invisible grip around her neck tightened. The Sith was trying to speed things up, and Satele couldn't fight it anymore. Her vision faded to black and she slumped to the floor.

Seyje released her hold on the Jedi and turned her attention to Jaesa. Her apprentice was shaking violently, and a cold fear settled on Seyje's chest as she realized they were running out of time. If this burn wasn't treated immediately, the chances of catching infection or disease from the air on the open wound would skyrocket.

"Let's get you out of here. Can you walk, Jaesa?" Seyje asked worriedly.

"I-I-I think so," Jaesa replied, her voice shaky and uneven.

She took a few wobbly steps, relying heavily on her master for support. A sharp whine of pain escaped her throat, and Seyje stopped, glancing at her apprehensively. Jaesa frantically shook her head.

"I-i-it's fine. I-I can do this," she said, taking another step to prove her point.

Seyje was doubtful, but they had to make it back somehow, even if the time they took getting there was much longer than usual.

The pair made their way out of the bridge and back through the winding hallways towards the hangar at a painstakingly slow pace. Seyje was tempted to just throw Jaesa over her shoulders and carry her, but she wouldn't be able to with broken ribs. Her apprentice was in too much pain already and any contact with her burn would be excruciating. Jaesa could barely handle the rate they were walking at now, much less be able to take a bouncy ride on Seyje's shoulders if she ran. No, the slow pace would have to do.

They entered a familiar hallway, no more than six meters wide, and Seyje could sense they were getting close. Suddenly, a blaring alarm went off and lights started to flash around them.

_Mrehhp! Mrehhp! Mrehhp!_

Jaesa cried out, the sound creating an instant migraine in her sensitive head, and she tried to cover her ears. Seyje snarled, both angrily and fearfully as she sensed her apprentice's suffering. There was no telling what kind of trouble they would run into now. Her own energy was already dangerously low, and Jaesa would be useless in a fight.

The loud alarms rendered their voices pointless, so Seyje delved into the Force to communicate with her apprentice.

_Jaesa. We need to keep moving before any soldiers show up. I won't be able to defend us if I have to support you. Can you stand on your own?_

Jaesa glanced at Seyje, her amber eyes flashing with determination.

_I don't know, my lord, but let me try. _

Seyje carefully pulled away, making sure Jaesa didn't stumble. The movements were obviously painful for her, and Seyje was extremely proud that Jaesa was willing to be so brave.

_We'll keep moving slow, but be on your guard as best you can. _

The Sith did not want anything more to happen to her apprentice. Such a burn was bad enough, but to leave it untreated for so long was agonizing to both Jaesa's body and her conscious. They made it down a few more hallways when the alarms stopped.  
Suddenly, Seyje heard multiple footsteps approaching them.

_Soldiers. _

The hallway they were in had vertical beams along the walls, either for protection or decoration. It turned sharply to the right in roughly eight meters, and then again to the left in four meters before reaching the hangar. These sharp corners meant the Sith had the element of surprise.

_Jaesa. Stay low and stay behind me, no matter what. _

Her apprentice nodded in agreement, letting her body slowly sink to the floor behind a thick metal beam. Seyje ignited her single red lightsaber and Jaesa's double-sided gold one as the footsteps came closer. Five Republic soldiers rounded the corner and were cut down easily the instant they were spotted; they didn't even have time to blink.

_Where are the others? _

Something was not right. Battalions were not composed of only five people. Seyje knew at least that much from her chats with Quinn.

She motioned for her apprentice, and Jaesa stood, seemingly easier this time, and walked over to her. Before either of them could speak, the entire ship suddenly shook as a nearby explosion sounded in the hangar, causing the girls to stumble around.

"What the Force was that?!" Seyje exclaimed with shock as she regained her balance.

She glanced at her apprentice, who was leaning against the wall, for an answer. A familiar wry smile played across Jaesa's lips.

"Pierce," she whispered proudly.

_Of course! His rocket launcher!_

Seyje chuckled. How typical of the Lieutenant. However, the smiled quickly faded from her lips.

_Wait. A. Second. He wouldn't use it unless…he was being attacked!_

Seyje gasped with horror. Jaesa's expression matched hers as she realized what she had just said.

"You must help them!" Jaesa pleaded, her arms flailing towards the bend in the  
hallway. "Go! Do not wait for me my lord!"

"Have you lost your mind?!" Seyje snarled, slightly surprised that she would request such a thing from her.

_After all we've been through? I don't think so!_

"I do not leave anyone behind!"

She grasped Jaesa's shoulder and pulled her forward. The apprentice's eyes flashed with impatience, and she darted around the Sith, walking as fast as her body would allow. Seyje quickly jumped in front of her protectively, and the pair hurried towards the hangar. As soon as they reached the last doorway, Seyje's jaw dropped as her eyes darted around the room.

A large group of soldiers on the left, both humans, droids, and aliens alike, were firing at a poorly structured wall of crates on the right that was shielding her crew from their blasters. None of the others, save for Jaesa, appeared to be seriously injured, which was a relief. As she took a step forward, a vaguely familiar humming sound reached Seyje's ears above the high-pitched sounds of the laser bullets. She turned her head to the right and gasped.

_Impossible._

The force field was still up. The ship's power was still on. Quinn had failed? No, not possible. Her captain was perfect, flawless, paid attention to detail. He never messed up! And yet the undeniable evidence was laid out before her. The Valiant was still able to call for help if it needed to, and there was no way the Fury of Darkness would be able to outrun the entire Republic Fleet if they somehow found a way out of here.

Seyje growled with frustration. She felt deceived, stood up. The plan was that they all agreed to do their part, and Quinn hadn't completed his end of the deal. Regardless, she wasn't about to let his folly endanger the others. She spun the two lightsabers in her hand, catching the attention of some of the nearby soldiers. A malicious grin spread across her lips, her eyes glowing red.

_Its showtime._


	7. Malavai's Mistake

Quinn watched the two Sith go, letting his eyes remain in the doorway after they disappeared in the shadows. He silently prayed that he would see them both again, Jaesa included, before ridding himself of all emotion. This task was going to require his utmost concentration and attention. There could be no distractions, although he would likely still have them.

"Ready when you are," Vette chirped, spinning her two blasters in her fingers like batons.

Quinn pulled out a datapad with information about the cruiser that Seyje had discreetly given him earlier. He didn't ask where she got it from, but no doubt she had swiped it from the man she attacked on Tatooine. Leading the way, he and Vette walked across the hangar to an empty hallway before he stopped to analyze the data.

"According to this map, the power engines are located in three separate control rooms, one on each level of the ship. We'll have to move quickly to get them all shut down before Darth Seyje returns," he said as he zoomed in to get a better look at the layout of the hallways.

"Why do you still call her that?" Vette asked curiously.

"What?"

The question had absolutely nothing to do with their mission and caught Quinn totally off-guard.

"You guys are married now. Shouldn't you just call her Seyje instead of Darth Seyje or 'my lord' all the time?" the Twi'lek inquired.

Quinn's face flushed a deep red.

"It is none of your business what I choose to call her," he stated. "And I will  
not have any of your ridiculous questions distract me from our mission."

Vette looked at him quizzically for a moment. At first, Quinn thought she would drop the subject, but he should've known better. The Twi'lek's face suddenly lit up.

"Aww, you're worried about her! How adorable!" Vette squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together like a child.

This was so typical of her, spazzing out over the tiniest inklings of romance for no good reason. Now was not a good time for this kind of behavior.

"Vette, please try to focus," the Captain begged.

His previous plan to block out thoughts of Seyje was being seriously thwarted by his annoying colleague. The Twi'lek's smile slowly faded as she watched Quinn's expression. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. He jumped at the touch and glanced at her questioningly.

"I'm just as worried as you. We all are," Vette said softly. "But things will work out. You'll see."

Quinn sighed. As much as he wanted to believe that, it was proving difficult to do so. Looking up from the datapad, Quinn saw the same question written all over Vette's face that was in his mind.

What if?

_No. No more distractions. _

He pushed the question out of his mind.

"We should hurry. That hallway should take us to an elevator that connects to all three levels where the power consoles are located," Quinn said as he pointed to their right.

"Me first!" Vette shouted, and she raced down the dark hallway

Quinn rolled his eyes and hurried after her, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. He had almost lost Seyje once from those damn war droids Baras had convinced him to program, and the thought of having to go through that experience again was horrifying. Quinn shook his head, burying his emotions once more, and focused on the running Twi'lek in front of him.

_Don't you dare die, Seyje. I can't bear the thought of losing you. Not again._

He and Vette managed to find the first two control rooms without much trouble. However, Quinn's suspicions were starting to rise. They hadn't seen a single person in the narrow, metallic hallways; no one on the first level, no one on the second level, and still no one on the third level. There had less than three hours remaining on the mission. The third control room was roughly eleven meters down the hall from the elevator. Quinn went inside first with Vette walking backwards behind him, keeping watch. He approached the console and inserted a chip from the datapad. After she was certain there was no danger, Vette took a moment to stretch her arms over her head and glanced over her shoulder at Quinn.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"There is a trap somewhere in this vessel. I need to find where it is," he responded quickly.

"Seriously? We don't have time for this! Just finish shutting down the power so we can get out of here!" exclaimed the Twi'lek, turning around and hunching over next to him.

"Would you rather we walked right into it?" Quinn demanded.

He shot Vette an inquisitive glance. She rolled her eyes and waved her hand for him to continue. Quinn pulled up a map of the cruiser. If he wanted to find this, he would have to move fast. Based on past experience, he knew that every different type of heat source on the ship would be marked by a different color. Electrical equipment and engines were blue, people and aliens were yellow, and droids were purple. They had already visited the three main blue areas. The only problem with this screen was that a map that should've been covered in tiny yellow and purple spots…wasn't.

_Where is everyone?_

A blinking red spot on the screen caught his attention. Quinn zoomed in on it, and gasped loudly in alarm. Vette spun around.

"What is it? What did you find?" she asked fretfully.

It took the Captain a few minutes to find his voice. This kind of information was unexpected.

"Vette…do you know why we haven't seen anyone on the vessel yet?" asked Quinn.

His voice was unnaturally shaky.

"Do I want to?" she responded nervously, raising an eyebrow at him.

Quinn swallowed hard. He had not foreseen trouble like this. Their situation would've been better if the Valiant just sent out a distress call to the Republic fleet and ended things quickly.

"Look at this screen," he said, and Vette turned around to see over his shoulder. "Do you see this blinking spot?"

"The big one full of purple and yellow dots? Yeah, what about it?" the Twi'lek asked curiously.

Quinn glanced at her and sighed with exasperation. Hadn't she learned anything about reading maps from flying the Fury of Darkness so many times?

Vette glared at him, and then looked back to the map as she studied it. Suddenly, she stared at him with wide eyes.

"No…" she gasped. "No, that's not possible! How? How would they have known?"

"Vette, this cruiser let by the most powerful Jedi Maser in the galaxy! How would they _not_ have known?!" Quinn shouted angrily.

He was furious. Not at Vette, but at Seyje and Jaesa. They had known that their cover was blown all along and hadn't told anyone.

_Every living being on this ship is waiting for a signal on the landing level. Once they get that signal, we will be annihilated. _

The Captain quickly ejected the chip he had put inside the console and grabbed the datapad.

"We need to get back to the ship immediately," Quinn ordered.

"Right behind you," Vette said as they both wheeled around and rushed out the door.

The pair practically ran to the elevator, and the Twi'lek punched the first level button as soon as her feet touched the platform. Riding up the dark shaft seemed like an eternity. Quinn started pacing, trying to figure out a solution to the immense problem they now faced. He didn't even care that his emotions were high-strung right now. If they didn't make it out of here, it was going to be one hundred percent Seyje's fault for not telling him that Master Satele knew they were there. Racking his brain proved to be useless; he couldn't think of anything that would get them out of this except fighting. Metal beams rushed past in a blur, but it still felt like the elevator wasn't moving.

Upon reaching the hangar level, Quinn raised his arm across Vette to stop her from leaving. She gave him a weird look, but he ignored it and listened intently. All was silent except for the echoing rumble of the gears in the shaft. The pair stepped off the platform and had only gone a few feet when a blaring alarm went off. Quinn jumped and instinctively covered his ears at the loud noise. Lights started flashing around them.

"Come on!" Vette shouted, pulling at his arm.

With a quick glance at the ceiling, Quinn saw a camera pointing right at them. Vette yanked him forward, and they started running down the familiar hallway they had come down earlier.

Quinn's heart was racing in his chest. The nerves that had been building up before started coming out in beads of sweat on his forehead. His and Vette's pounding footsteps made a hollow echo on the metal floors. They dashed down the rigid halls and came running into the hangar at top speed.

Pierce was sitting on the ramp looking very bored while Broonmark played sentry and stood like a statue next to him. As soon as they caught sight of Quinn and Vette, the two guards jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons.

"What's going on?" Pierce exclaimed as they came running towards him.

"We've – huh – been set up," Vette said breathlessly, hunched over with her hands on her knees.

Her and Quinn took a few moments to catch their breath, leaving Pierce and Broonmark anxiously left waiting. The alarms were still blaring loudly, so they all had to shout to hear each other.

"They knew we were here all along!" Quinn explained angrily as soon as he could speak again.

"[Not possible! How?]" Broonmark demanded furiously, swiping his claws across the front of his body in a 'X' motion.

"We found a map on the third floor console showing us why we haven't seen anyone since we landed," Quinn continued. "All the guards and droids that should be patrolling were gathered in the main lobby and were waiting for us to figure it out. We should've–"

He stopped.

_What was that?_

Quinn slowly turned around. No one was paying attention to him anymore. They were all focused on a new sound that was starting to overpower the loud alarms - the unmistakable sound of running feet.

_Damn it. _

"Start piling those crates in front of the ship! We need to protect ourselves until Lord Seyje returns!" Quinn ordered.

"You mean _if_ she returns," Vette shot back.

He glared at her darkly. That remark was not at all funny to him – not in the least.

"_Thank_ you for brightening the mood, Vette," Quinn snapped with angry sarcasm.

The rhythmic pounding was getting louder, and loud voices echoed down the halls. Vette's attitude could be worried about later. The crew members all hurried as they started dragging metal crates towards the entrance of their ship. If worse came to worse, the four of them would escape and leave Seyje and Jaesa behind.

No sooner had they created a small barrier than did a squad of troops and droids run into the hangar from the largest set of blast doors furthest from the ship, almost sixty yards away. Quinn gasped in horror. There were roughly a hundred of them – equal to almost half a battalion – with the majority being people and aliens. There was no way they could defeat such a large group, not even if Seyje and Jaesa were here. As soon as the Republic troops caught sight of them, blasters were fired and laser bullets zinged past Quinn's head as he ducked down.

"We're doomed," Vette said as soon as she caught sight of his gapping expression.

She sat with her back leaning against the barrier and her knees pulled up to her chest. Both Pierce and Broonmark were crouched down next to her.

"They won't get us that easily," Pierce threatened as he loaded both his rocket launcher and blaster rifle.

"[Talz never give up. Talz fight to death. Kill all who approach.]" Broonmark snarled, unsheathing his vibrosword and activating his shield generator.

Vette sighed with exasperation and pulled her two blasters from their holsters.

"Well, it was nice knowing you guys," she said, taking a position next to Pierce and firing a few shots of her own.

Quinn remained crouched behind the crates. He carefully lifted his head up and glanced towards the hallway that Seyje and Jaesa had gone down earlier. Where were they? Didn't they hear the alarms?

_Hold on._

The alarms had stopped, and so had the blaster fire. He looked over the top their makeshift barrier and saw five Republic troopers head down the hallway where Seyje and Jaesa had gone. Quinn's stomach sank. He had no way to warn the two Sith girls about the  
ambush they were likely about to walk into.

Pierce saw his chance and shot a rocket from his launcher towards the distracted soldiers. It exploded into the ground, causing the entire hangar to shake as debris flew everywhere, knocking down droids and soldiers alike. As the smoke began to clear, Quinn could see a giant hole had blasted through the floor and ceiling of the lower level. Those who had survived immediately started shooting again.

Quinn was about to start firing from his own blaster when a familiar humming sound suddenly filled his ears. He whirled his head to the left, and his jaw dropped as he realized the force field was still up. He had completely forgotten to shut down the systems on the last console, which meant the power was still on throughout the ship. How could he have been so stupid?! The success of this mission had depended entirely on him, and he had failed. Quinn gritted his teeth and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. This was a disaster. Not only had he royally screwed up, but now they had zero chance of escaping and were going to become blaster fodder.

"What are you doing?! Get up here!" Vette suddenly yelled at him as she dodged an array of bullets.

"Vette, look!" Quinn shouted, pointing to the hangar entrance.

She turned her head and her eyes grew wide.

"Well don't just sit there moping about it. Look on that datapad for something useful!" the Twi'lek exclaimed as she fired again, shouting out a few curses while doing so.

It wasn't likely, but right now it was their only chance. A laser bullet flew right past Quinn's eyes, and he ducked down behind the crates as the hangar rang out with the sounds of high pitched blasters. As quickly as he could, Quinn scrolled to the map showing all the heat sources on the ship. If there were any electrical controls in the hangar, this map would show it. Zooming in, he found that an emergency power console was located right next to a blast door on the right side of the hangar.

Quinn lay down on his stomach and carefully crawled over to the edge of the crates. Glancing around the side, he saw the information was true; there was a power console there, but there were dozens of Republic troopers in front of it too.

Quinn stayed low to the ground and took careful aim, but just before he could fire, the unmistakable humming sound of a lightsaber filled the air. Scrambling to his knees, Quinn saw Seyje standing in the doorway of the hall. As soon as the Republic soldiers caught sight of them, it was open fire. The Sith was able to defend herself, but something was out of place. Why was Seyje holding Jaesa's lightsaber and only one of her own?

After a rapid assessment, the Captain realized their situation was even more desperate than the crew's. Jaesa was ducked down behind Seyje, clearly injured, but he couldn't see how from the angle she was sitting. The Sith lord herself was wincing in pain and visibly spent on energy as she deflected lasers back at the Republic troops. They needed help just as badly as Quinn and the others did. Seyje caught his eye, sending a silent plea for help. Quinn nodded and turned to the rest of the crew. To his surprise, Pierce was already on his feet standing fully exposed above their barrier of crates.

"Lieutenant, what the hell are you doing?!" Quinn demanded.

Pierce didn't answer and fired three quick shots from the rocket launcher. The hangar shook again from the explosions and clouded the entire room with thick, gray smoke. The sounds of soldiers coughing replaced the zinging of blasters as everyone struggled to see. Pierce wasted no time in bolting towards the Sith, leaving the other three to defend themselves.

"Quick thinking, Pierce," Seyje said with a sly grin as he approached, waving a wisp of smoke out of her face.

Pierce only nodded in response and kneeled down next to Jaesa, tenderly brushing a hand against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, and a weak smile played across her lips when she saw him. Seyje could sense the apprehension from Pierce, his worry matching her own. He glanced up at her, and Seyje could see the fear behind the Lieutenant's eyes.

Suddenly, laser bullets began flying past them, and Seyje turned to see the smoke had cleared just enough for the soldiers to catch sight of them. With a snarl, the Sith turned and deflected an array of shots.

"Get her back to the ship! I'll cover you!" Seyje ordered, taking an offensive stance in front of the pair.

Pierce gently scooped up Jaesa in his arms and held her close to his chest. Seyje made sure he stayed behind her as they moved back across the floor. The lightsabers spun like batons in her hand as she redirected the bullets back at the soldiers, taking out a fair number of them.

As soon as they reached the barrier, Pierce placed Jaesa on the ground and leaned her against the crates. They all gathered around momentarily.

"We can't bring her to the ship yet. It's too dangerous and pointless with that force field still up," Seyje growled with frustration.

She glared at Quinn, her eyes blazing with fury. He cowered under her gaze. Couldn't she see he felt guilty enough about it already?

"So what do we do?!" Vette demanded. "The longer we sit here, the sooner we'll be sitting ducks!"

"[Already are]" Broonmark pointed out.

The crates began to shake from the blaster fire hitting them on the other side. They wouldn't hold much longer. Seyje gritted her teeth. They were cornered, tired, and running low on ammunition. The Sith closed her eyes, thinking back over the years of her time with her crew. Such dire situations had come up before, but never something like this. She sighed deeply, and looked up into the concerned faces of her companions.

"We take them out," she snarled.

Jaws dropped.

"All of them?" Vette gasped.

"All of them."

The crew looked at one another. An order like that was close to a death sentence.

"My lord, such measures are not necessary," Quinn suddenly interjected.

Her fiery eyes darted to his face and her chin tilted slightly upward as she looked down on him.

"What reason do I have to trust such a bold statement from you, Captain?" she demanded icily.

Ouch.

The others flinched. Not only had she rebuked him for failing, but she called him by his professional title instead of his name. It hurt him, but Quinn brushed it off and remained focused.

"There is a power console located on the right side of this hangar near some blast doors. If destroyed, the force field should deactivate and we can make our escape," he said with a few hand gestures.

Seyje eyed him carefully and turned her head to glance over the crates. As always, Quinn had spoken truthfully. She had to admit, Quinn did have a knack for recovering quickly from any mistakes he made – which wasn't often.

"Alright, here's the plan. I take down as many soldiers as I can while you guys cover me, and once the room is clear enough I'll destroy that power console so we can get the hell out of here," Seyje stated.

"My lord, you can't fight them alone!" Quinn protested. "You do not have the energy nor the strength to do so right now."

"You have any better ideas?" she snapped.

The Sith glared at him, but Quinn could see the weariness in her eyes. With a sigh, he reloaded his blaster. The atmosphere suddenly felt heavy, but no one else said a word against Seyje's decision. Quinn could tell what they were thinking though.

Can she do it?

Seyje snarled quietly under her breath, drinking in the power of the Force around her. She plotted out the location of every human, alien, and droid on the floor behind her within seconds, and took a deep breath. As nimble as a feline, she backflipped over the crates and sliced down three Republic troops. They fell at her feet and she stepped backwards over the bodies as the bullets began to rain down upon her. Blaster fire came from behind her as her crew started firing away. The Sith advanced forward and danced through the outer line of soldiers with ease, cutting down anyone that came within range of her.

However, without her usual strength, Seyje quickly began to grow tired. Her battle with Satele had required a tremendous amount of energy and she now had very little left to give. Quinn noticed her actions slow.

"We need to draw their fire away from her!" he shouted to the others.

They nodded in agreement. Vette shot furiously as the front line of soldiers, her eyes blazing with frustration as each one she shot down was replaced by another. Broonmark roared curses in Talz at the soldiers, trying to get them to approach so he could slice off their heads. Pierce was desperate to use the rocket launcher again, but the chance of accidently hitting Seyje in the middle of the mess was too risky, so he could only use his blaster.

Nothing seemed to be working. The Republic troops were firing relentlessly at the Sith, and Seyje hissed as some of the bullets grazed her skin. The red and gold blades whirled around in front of her at dangerously high speeds, but she was struggling. Quinn watched in horror as she stumbled across a ridge in the floor and two lasers scathed her bare torso. With an angry roar, Seyje threw her lightsaber like a boomerang, and the soldiers who had hit her fell to the floor decapitated. The hilt returned to her hand just as another round of blasts came flying towards her, which she managed to dodge.

_She'll never make it... _

Quinn's stomach sank as he realized that Seyje would never be able to last long enough to get to the power console; there were too many soldiers. He spotted Pierce's rocket launcher on the ground a few feet away and he got an idea.

_I must be out of my mind…but it just might work. _

Quinn lunged for the huge weapon and dragged it to the edge of the crates, keeping his head down below the barrier. He was not strong enough to lift it off the ground, but hopefully he wouldn't have to.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Pierce shouted as soon as he spotted his favorite weapon being stolen.

Quinn ignored him. There was only one rocket left, so he would have to make this shot count. He turned it so the barrel was facing the power console. The soldiers hadn't taken notice of his actions yet and were still focused on Seyje. He took a few moments to watch the Sith. She was straining to avoid any more bullet injuries. It was obvious she was tired and was having difficulty focusing, but she seemed to ignore her fatigue and continued to fight.

Quinn stood up, leaving his upper-body exposed. After double-checking to make sure it was loaded, he released the trigger on the rocket launcher and it fired. The hangar rumbled and shook from the explosion; it was twice as big as before. Quinn could feel the searing heat of the flames against his skin and his ears were ringing loudly. Black smoke spread throughout the room, blinding everyone. Orange flames licked the walls and sparks sputtered from the demolished console.

Looking around, he saw every single being had been knocked to the floor, including Seyje. She appeared in a daze and confused as she held a hand against her temple. The Sith shook her head and looked up, a huge grin appeared on her face as she pointed towards the ship. Quinn turned his head and saw his plan had worked; the force field was down. They could escape. He looked back ecstatically, but the thrill of victory quickly turned to panic as he realized the smoke had faded and the soldiers could now see who had caused the explosion. Seyje was no longer the target – he was.

Quinn didn't even have time to blink before the blasters began. Suddenly, it was like everything became silent. All time and movement turned to slow motion. It wasn't so much the scorching pain in his gut that hurt, but the shock, the anticipation of the laser bullets. Quinn stumbled, taken aback, and looked up. Seyje was standing on her feet with a pile of bodies around her. His eyes locked with hers, and Quinn felt a serene peace wash over him knowing that she was alive. A wry half-smile cracked across his lips at the irony of it.

_She's supposed to be the one getting shot at, not me. _

Seyje appeared to be shouting something as tears ran down her face, but Quinn couldn't see what it was as he fell back. At least this way, he would die a hero.

_I did it for you, Seyje. _

Quinn's vision grew blurry and he blacked out.


End file.
